Wedding Announcement
by csiAngel
Summary: Sequel to my fic Wedding Bells. You do need to read that first.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: The characters and premise of CSI do not belong to me, I own only the crazy situations that I put those wonderful characters in. This is for fun, not for profit.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Catherine couldn't help but smile as she walked through the corridors of the crime lab. It was her first day back at work after her weekend at Grissom's cousin's wedding, and the highlights of those few days were replaying in her mind. She giggled out loud when she recalled Grissom's karaoke performance. That was something she had never expected to see, and something she doubted she would ever see again, but something that would definitely live forever in her memory.  
  
She was awoken from her daydream by Warrick shouting her name from behind her. Intentionally she dropped the smile, adopted one that appeared false, and turned to face him.  
  
"Warrick."  
  
He stopped opposite her. "How did it go?"  
  
"Smoothly... Bride looked beautiful – "  
  
"Cath," he cut her off, "not that I don't care about the wedding, but how did it go with Grissom?"  
  
Feeling that her true smile was about to betray the charade she wished to play out, Catherine turned away from him, sighing heavily as she did so, and continued her act as she slowly walked along the corridor.  
  
"Oh it went just fine..." she said, sarcastically. "I learned a lot about Grissom I didn't know before... For example – " she stopped and turned to him. "– Did you know that Grissom was once engaged?"  
  
Shock showed in all Warrick's features, and he was unable to speak in the time Catherine allowed him before she carried on.  
  
"And it just so happened she was at the same hotel."  
  
Warrick cringed. "Oh, Cath, I'm sorry," he said, genuinely concerned.  
  
Catherine shrugged. "Don't worry about it."  
  
Warrick was about to respond when Grissom rounded the corner. Their supervisor stopped when he saw them, and, looking slightly uncomfortable, he looked first at Warrick, and nodded, then looked at Catherine. She averted her eyes, looking down at her feet.  
  
"Cath, could I... see you in my office, please?" Grissom asked nervously.  
  
Catherine rolled her eyes and turned to face him. "I was just talking to Warrick. Can't it wait?"  
  
"It's important," Grissom replied seriously.  
  
Warrick looked from Grissom to Catherine, and could tell that she did want to talk to him, so he felt confident enough in excusing himself so that she could go with him.  
  
"Cath, it's okay, I'll catch up with you later," Warrick said with a supportive smile, then he headed for the break room.  
  
After ensuring that the younger man was out of sight, Catherine looked at Grissom and smiled widely.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey," he replied, his smile matching hers. "Remind me why we're doing this to Warrick?" he asked as they started to walk towards his office.  
  
"Because he deserves it," she said lightly.  
  
"Is this part of that 'long story' you still haven't explained to me?" Grissom questioned, remembering that when Warrick had been mentioned over the weekend, she had said it was a long story as to the relevance. He had forgotten about it as soon as she agreed to marry him, and had therefore never found out what Warrick had to do with anything.  
  
"Yes," was the whole of her response as they reached the office and he stepped aside to allow her to enter first.  
  
Closing the door behind him as he followed her in, Grissom moved instantly to Catherine and planted a tender kiss on her lips. When he pulled away and looked at her, a look of surprise was accompanying her glowing smile.  
  
"What?" he asked, confused as to why she was shocked.  
  
"We're at work," she explained.  
  
Grissom shrugged, grinning mischievously, "I know."  
  
He leant in again, feeling her giggle against his lips as he kissed her.  
  
"Did you ask me in here just to kiss me?" she asked when they separated for air.  
  
"Would you object?" he replied.  
  
The twinkle in her eyes told him her answer.  
  
"But," she said, trying to be more serious, "We do have to start work in five minutes."  
  
Grissom nodded. "Yes, we do. And that's why I asked you in here... The other reason I asked you in here," he added upon seeing Catherine pout. "Are we going to tell the team?"  
  
"Aw! And spoil all the fun I'm having with Warrick?" she smiled.  
  
Kissing her once more, with a kiss that carried on after his lips left hers, Grissom whispered, "You don't need Warrick to have fun, honey."  
  
Catherine laughed again, and looked contentedly into his eyes. "Do you want to tell them?" she asked solemnly.  
  
"I want to tell everyone."  
  
His answer had the desired effect, and Catherine's smile grew even wider. "Then we'll tell them."  
  
She placed her lips on his for one last kiss before they had to be professional.  
  
TBC... 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter 2  
  
The phone rang just as Grissom and Catherine were leaving his office to go to the break room for assignments, so Grissom suggested that Catherine go on ahead of him. She reluctantly agreed, but only when he pointed out that it would give her one last opportunity to wind up Warrick.  
  
She entered the room to find Warrick, Nick and Sara already there, seated around the table, talking. She walked straight to the pot of coffee, acknowledging the welcome back greetings from Sara and Nick with only a nod. The younger two CSIs shared their looks of concern, and – as Warrick stood up and walked over to Catherine – they both looked more confused. Once again wondering what he was missing, Nick was quite relieved that, this time, Sara was also out of the loop.  
  
"Are you okay?" Warrick asked quietly.  
  
Catherine nodded quickly.  
  
"Did he upset you? I wouldn't have left you with him except you looked like you wanted to talk to him – "  
  
"Warrick, I'm fine. Honestly. We'll talk some other time." She walked away from him, sitting down beside Sara, and plastering a smile onto her face.  
  
"So, have I missed anything?" she asked cheerfully.  
  
Nick and Sara looked at each other then both shook their heads.  
  
"It was the same as most weekends," Sara explained. "Nothing out of the ordinary."  
  
"Ooh, Greg did try it on with Brass's niece," Nick smirked.  
  
"Oh yeah," Sara said, smiling excitedly. "I can't believe I forgot that. It was hilarious!"  
  
"Greg was turning on the charm when Brass walked in, and Lucy jumped up and hugged him," Nick continued.  
  
"You should have seen Greg's face!" Sara added.  
  
They were just laughing when Grissom walked in. Catherine looked at him, their eyes met, and there was no way she could have kept up her charade. A smile spread across her lips. He returned the smile then turned to the group.  
  
Warrick caught Catherine's eye as she turned away from Grissom, and frowned questioningly. She tried her hardest not to smirk, but could feel herself failing, so she looked down at the table, blushing a little. Warrick shook his head, smiling to himself.  
  
"Okay, Nick and Catherine, you have a DB in the parking lot of the Luxor." He handed the assignment folder to Nick. "Sara and Warrick, a break-in at a jewellers at the Forum shops," he continued, handing the folder to Sara. "And Catherine and I are getting married," he finished.  
  
Nick frowned. "I thought you said Cath was – " he stopped when he realised what Grissom had said.  
  
"Married?" Sara asked, eyes wide.  
  
Warrick just laughed and shook his head again, in disbelief that he had fallen for Catherine's trickery.  
  
"Well, er, congratulations!" Nick exclaimed, standing to shake Grissom's hand and to hug Catherine.  
  
"Thank you," Catherine smiled to the young Texan as he moved away from her.  
  
"I... I didn't even know you two were... seeing each other," Sara said, finishing slowly.  
  
"It's a complicated tale," Catherine said, shaking her head. "But... this is its happy ending."  
  
She looked at Sara, almost like a child waiting for a parent's approval. She knew that Sara had had a crush on Gil, and that, if those feelings still remained, this would be very hard on her, but she didn't want to drive her away. For all the disagreements they had had in the past, Catherine did like Sara, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset her. And she wanted Sara to realise this.  
  
After a short moment's silence, Sara smiled. "Congratulations."  
  
Catherine beamed, and accepted the hug that Sara offered, glad that the younger woman had chosen to be adult about this, and not sulk, as she did have a tendency to do when things didn't go her way.  
  
As Sara moved to speak to Grissom, Catherine looked at Warrick and grinned. "You're very quiet."  
  
"I can't believe I fell for all that," he said, standing up and moving round to sit next to her. "You are cruel!"  
  
Catherine laughed. "You deserved it!"  
  
Warrick's eyes widened in a declaration of innocence. "What did I do?"  
  
"You didn't tell me I was in love with Grissom!"  
  
"I thought you knew! You're a CSI!" he laughed with her. "... Seriously now, I'm happy for you. It's about time!" He leaned over and hugged her tightly.  
  
"Well, this definitely calls for a celebration!" Nick exclaimed.  
  
"Yep. Engagement party!" Sara agreed. "This weekend. I'll speak to Ecklie about covering the shift."  
  
"Guys, really, we don't – " Catherine tried to tell them it wasn't necessary, but they refused to listen.  
  
"So where shall we go?" Nick asked, looking to Warrick and Sara for suggestions.  
  
Grissom just sat down and observed it all, too happy about finally having Catherine as his fiancée to worry about the fuss that was being made.  
  
"There's that new bar... What's it called? Horizon!" Sara offered.  
  
Warrick nodded. "But it's karaoke in there at the weekend."  
  
Catherine's eyes lit up, and she turned to Grissom, smirking, as she spoke to the others. "Karaoke? Now, that sounds like fun."  
  
As Grissom glared playfully at Catherine, the other three exchanged confused glances.  
  
"I didn't think karaoke would be your thing," Warrick said to Grissom.  
  
"Oh, if that's what Catherine wants to do, it's fine by me," he responded, eyes still fixed on Catherine's. "Just as long as she sings."  
  
Catherine smiled. "I will, if you will."  
  
Grissom raised one eyebrow. "You want me to sing? After what happened last time."  
  
Catherine nodded. "Nothing soppy though. I don't want my make up running again."  
  
"Soppy?!" Grissom exclaimed.  
  
"It was lovely... But, yeah, it was soppy," she giggled.  
  
"Right!" Grissom declared.  
  
Fear danced over Catherine's face, as the three other people in the room continued to exchange confused glances.  
  
"Right what?" she questioned, warily.  
  
"You'll see," he smirked standing up. "Now, I believe we all have work to do," he said, nodding to the rest of the team before leaving three totally confused CSIs and one rather worried fiancée and heading out to his crime scene, smiling mischievously to himself.  
  
TBC... 


	3. Chapter Three

Rating: still K

Disclaimer: I still do not own anything to do with CSI, nor do I own any song lyrics used.

A/N: I'm not particularly pleased with this chapter, but I need it to get where I'm going. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up in less time than it took me for this one – so that gives me at least six months ;-)

Chapter Three

"This place is great," Catherine commented as she slid into the booth, at Horizon, after Greg.

Nick, Warrick, Sara and Brass had chosen some seats, and got in the first round, while Catherine and Grissom had been delayed by swinging by to pick up Greg whose car had refused to start.

"I love it here," Greg said. "I'm becoming quite a singing sensation."

Catherine joined the rest of the group in laughing then realised that Grissom wasn't sitting down beside her. Glancing up at him, she saw that he was looking around the room.

"Gil?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

He turned to her and smiled. "I'm fine… I just need to speak to… someone." He kissed her softly on her lips once, then left in the direction of the bar.

Frowning, Catherine readjusted to be facing the others again. "What's he up to?" she asked, intending for it to be rhetorical.

When she was met by a chorus of "Nothing," she eyed her friends suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

Knowing that they had a tendency to tell her whatever she wanted to know when faced with that look, each of them quickly averted their gazes to fall elsewhere.

* * *

Several rounds later, Sara was vehemently criticising the current karaoke act, waving her latest cocktail in the air for emphasis. 

"Think you can do better?" Warrick challenged.

"Of course I can!" she exclaimed. "Nick knows I have a great voice… He told me so!"

Nick ducked his head to avoid being dragged into the conversation.

"Oh did he?…" Warrick said, smirking at the top of Nick's head. "Well, why don't you get up there and give us a song?" he asked her.

Greg cut in, frowning. "I thought Grissom and Catherine were supposed to be singing?"

"I'm not going first!" Catherine insisted.

"And we've got half an hour before I'm on," Grissom said.

Catherine turned to him, eyes wide. "You have a scheduled time?" she asked, in disbelief.

He simply smirked in response, and gently placed a kiss to the palm of her hand that he held in his.

"Gil!" she warned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yes?" he said, smiling innocently.

"What are you up to?"

He smirked again, and this time leaned in to kiss her lips. "You'll have to wait and see."

She was going to question him further, but they were distracted by a clattering of bottles and glasses, on the opposite side of the table.

Sara had been trying to slide past Nick to leave the booth, but had lost her footing and was now sitting across his lap.

"You could have stood up to let her pass, Nick!" Greg muttered, with a hint of a glare in both his face and tone.

Momentarily, everyone glanced, puzzled, at Greg, then the focus returned to Sara.

"Where were you going?" Catherine asked.

"To the stage," Sara announced with a grin. "I'm gonna show them how it's done."

It was as if she had forgotten that's what she was about to do, because as soon as she said it, she stood up from Nick's knee. Prior to that, she wasn't making much attempt to move.

She didn't wait to see if anyone had anything else to say, and disappeared into the crowd.

"This could be interesting," Brass commented.

"She does really have a good voice," Nick offered in response, and he didn't seem to notice the eye roll from Greg.

"But will it have survived the alcohol?" Catherine said, her expression not one of optimism.

"It'll be more fun for us if it hasn't," Warrick grinned evilly.

The sudden withdrawal of Grissom's hand from hers, snapped Catherine out of the laughter she was sharing with the guys.

"Where are you going?" she asked him as he stood up.

"I'll be back in a minute," he smiled, a mysterious sparkle in his eyes. "Carry on."

She watched him walk away and then tried to stand to follow him.

"Oh no you don't!" Greg said, snatching her back. "Nosey!"

"Not nosey, concerned," she countered.

"Nosey!" Warrick and Greg repeated.

"Intrigued?" she tried.

"You'll spoil it if you start noseying," Nick warned her.

"Spoil what?" she smirked.

"Not going to work," Warrick stated. "You're just going to have to be patient."

She fell back heavily into her seat with a sigh. "Patience is a virtue I don't possess… Particularly when I'm feeling nosey!"

* * *

Grissom had returned, all innocent smiles and kisses, as always, and despite Catherine's many attempts to keep the conversation on what he had planned for his 'number', the men had managed to introduce the topic of what had happened to Sara. 

It had been over ten minutes since she left them, and, as yet, she hadn't appeared on the stage. They just hoped she hadn't come face to face with the 'singer' she had been so heatedly opposed to.

They need not have worried.

Almost a minute after they had started to talk about her, her name was announced, and she stepped up to the microphone.

The group exchanged curious, excited, or amused glances and then set their attentions on their colleague, awaiting the start of her performance.

She cleared her throat, and after a few notes of music, she began to sing.

"Where have all the good men gone?

And where are all the gods?"

When someone across the room, yelled, "Right here, baby!" she gave him first a sharp glare, and then a playful wink, before directing the next lines to the other side of the room, completely turning her back on him.

Catherine giggled at her treatment of him, proud to recognise elements of her own attitude in what Sara had just done.

For the most part, Sara's voice was holding up, despite the alcohol, and the 'audience' seemed to like her. She hit the "I need a hero," with enthusiasm, and even started to dance a little as the beat picked up.

"She's good," Catherine said to Greg.

"Yes she is," he replied, his eyes transfixed, gazing at Sara admiringly.

Catherine glanced at him and laughed to herself, then she snuck a peek at Nick, finding him to be pretty much mesmerized in the same way. She shook her head a little, and wondered if Sara even realised how the two men felt about her. Part of her hoped that she didn't, for her choosing one over the other could prove harmful to the close friendships they all shared. But another part of her wanted her friends to be as happy as she was to be marrying Gil.

Speaking of Gil…

She snuggled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder, simply smiling contentedly when he looked at her, questioning the sudden closeness. He smiled back and rested his head on hers, and they both watched as Sara aimed for – but missed – a high note, earning her a standing ovation.

* * *

It was five minutes later when Sara rejoined the group, who gave her another round of applause as she nudged Nick to move along the bench so she could sit down. 

"Thank you very much," she said, grinning.

"What took you so long getting back?" Warrick asked.

Sara gave a sly smirk, and produced a handful of business cards, and pieces of paper. "I had to fight through my fan club," she said, fanning them out on the table.

The group eyed the collection of phone numbers, some amazed, some laughing.

"Wow!" Catherine exclaimed.

"Yep," Sara smiled. "But, it's astounding how many men in this room think they are God's gift to women," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I feel sorry for those men," Warrick said. "Because I know I am God's gift to women."

Both Catherine and Sara glared at him playfully, and the other men kindly thumped him in whichever arm they had easiest access to.

While he protested the attack, Sara turned to Catherine. "Where's Grissom?"

Catherine shrugged. "He's disappeared again."

Sara couldn't fight her small smile, so she raised her drink to her lips to hide it.

"Sara?" Catherine questioned. "Could you –"

Sara shook her head forcefully. "Not a chance," she replied to the unasked question.

"But – "

"Catherine, be patient… Just wait a little longer, and all your questions will be answered."

TBC…

A/N: The song Sara sang is "Holding Out For a Hero" by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford, once sung by Bonnie Tyler (although in my mind I always hear the Jennifer Saunders version from 'Shrek 2' :-) )


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I own very little

A/N: Oki doki, here's chapter four. You do need to have read Wedding Bells, and you also need to have read chapters one to three of this fic – all of which can be foundhere, or on my newly redesigned and restructured website (plug, plug ;-) )

A/N2: I am not a fan of karaoke stories, and really cannot believe that I'm writing one! But, I've started so I'll finish… eventually ;-) Song info will be at the end of the chapter so as not to give anything away :-)

Dedication: To Angie and Macy – thanks for all your 'encouragement', and help with song suggestions. I hope this doesn't disappoint.

Chapter Four

Apparently there was some sort of 'delay' with Grissom's performance -- at least, that's what Catherine had been told, and she had been refused any further information. The only other thing she knew was that Grissom had disappeared again.

The group had tried to get her to sing while they were waiting, but she was insistent that she wasn't singing anything until she knew what Gil had been planning. Realising that if they attempted to argue with her they would probably end up telling her what Grissom had planned, the others let it drop, and Nick volunteered to sing next to pass the time.

He was on the stage, ready with the microphone, and he took a deep breath as the music began.

"Would you dance if I asked you to dance?" he sang softly.

Catherine smirked to herself as she immediately recognised the song.

"Would you run and never look back?" he continued.

"Would you cry if you saw me crying?

"Would you save my soul tonight?"

"Hey, Nicky boy's not bad," Warrick commented.

"What's he singing?" Greg frowned.

Sara shrugged. "It sounds familiar, but I can't place it..."

Catherine shook her head slightly, and giggled a little before she said: "You'll find out in a minute." She settled herself in a position where she could watch Sara's reaction from the corner of her eye.

"I can be your hero, baby," Nick entered the chorus, his eyes fixed on Sara.

"That's what it is!" Sara exclaimed. "By Enrique Iglesias!" The brunette sat back in her seat, as if relaxed to finally know what the song was. The association of this song with the one she had sung didn't appear to occur to her.

Catherine frowned, wondering if she really hadn't noticed. Another eye roll from Greg, and a muttered 'please!', indicated that he had.

As she was turning back to the stage, Catherine's eyes caught Warrick and Brass's, and they shared her smirk. They knew what was going on, even if the woman it was directed at seemed to be oblivious.

Nick's song continued, and Greg continued to mutter inaudible comments every now and again, and Catherine's mind wandered once again to Grissom, and she scanned the room to see if she could see him.

She was distracted from this when a passing lady stumbled and bumped into Catherine's arm.

"I'm sorry," the woman apologised, then she hurried away.

Catherine frowned as she watched her walk away.

"You okay?" Warrick asked her.

"Yeah…" she replied distantly.

"She did apologise," Greg offered, worried that Catherine was getting angry.

Catherine looked towards him, momentarily confused, then realised what he meant. "Oh, no, I'm not bothered about that… She looked… familiar…" she trailed off, returning her gaze to the path through the crowd that the woman had taken.

Her attention now turned away, she missed the look of minor panic that passed between the other people at the table.

* * *

"I need to go to the bathroom," Greg and Warrick said, simultaneously, both looking at the other with a small glare. 

"We can't go together!" Greg exclaimed.

"Why not?" Sara smirked.

"We're not women!" Warrick responded.

Whilst Sara and Catherine shared a laugh at the look of horror on Warrick's face, the two men looked at each other.

"We enter separately…" Greg said.

"… And we leave separately," Warrick concluded.

They nodded their agreement and left the table.

Catherine shook her head. "Men!… Speaking of men, Nick's taking a long time."

"He's probably fighting through a fan club," Sara smiled.

"Did you enjoy his song?" Catherine asked, with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Sara nodded. "He's got quite a good voice… And I love Enrique Iglesias!… Do you want another drink? I'm gonna go to the bar."

Through her disbelief that Sara really did seem completely unaware of the reason for Nick's choice of song, Catherine nodded, and the younger woman headed off towards the bar.

Brass shook his own head. "Head in the clouds," he commented. "We probably should get drinks for the rest of them… I'll give her a hand." With that, Brass got up and followed Sara.

It was only when she sat back in her chair that Catherine realised they had left her alone and her suspicious side kicked in. Once she started thinking about how strange it was that they had all found an excuse to leave, her brain threw forward an exchange she had overheard between Greg and Warrick as they had left for the bathroom.

Warrick had slapped Greg across the shoulder, and said: "You were supposed to go to use the phone!"

To which Greg replied: "No I wasn't! You were!"

At the time, she hadn't even registered that she had heard it, but now it suddenly seemed relevant.

She stood up and strained to see over the crowd to the bar. It was difficult to tell for sure, but she didn't need much convincing that Sara and Brass weren't there.

She was just turning towards the front of the club, to see if Nick was visible, when the lights dropped to one spotlight on the stage and Grissom appeared, microphone in hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen… and Catherine," he began, smirking. "… If I could have your attention, please?"

Catherine's eyes widened -- Gil wasn't particularly a fan of public speaking, if he was doing this then he must have quite a humiliation planned for her.

"I'm here this evening with some friends, to celebrate the fact that the woman who has been the love of my life for twenty years has agreed to be my wife…"

'He's drunk,' Catherine thought. 'Must be.'

"… It was once said that to love a person is to know the song that is in their heart. Well, the song I am going to sing definitely has a special place in Catherine's heart… So, now that all my backing singers are ready…" Grissom paused, and the lights came up on the rest of the stage revealing the missing members of her group, and five people Catherine recognised as Gil's 'Spice Girl' cousins (one of whom had bumped into her earlier), as well as his Uncle Bob. She laughed out loud, then lowered her shaking head, when the blond wigs they were wearing made it clear what song he was about to sing. Well, the skimpy pink dress that Uncle Bob was wearing was a big clue as well.

Uncle Bob handed Grissom a wig, and helped him secure it properly on his head.

The audience seemed amused, and totally confused, but tears of laughter were building in Catherine's eyes already. In all her wonderings about what he was up to, she had never imagined this.

The only one without a wig, Warrick stepped forward and stood to left of Grissom, his own microphone in his hand.

With everyone in place, Grissom continued: "… I dedicate this song to my darling Catherine… I hope it is suitably un-soppy for you," he grinned in her direction.

Catherine shook her head again, and settled down to watch what should be an entertaining performance.

Warrick lifted his microphone and began in a very deep voice: "Hiya Barbie."

"Hi Ken!" Grissom responded, in as high and girly a voice as he could manage, while one hand twirled some of his 'hair' round in his fingers, and he smiled shyly.

"Do you wanna go for a ride?"

He added a little giggle before responding, and some of Catherine's tears escaped as she laughed at him. "Sure Ken!"

"Jump in," Warrick said, and the music started.

Turning now to face his audience, Grissom smiled sweetly and batted his eyelids as he sang:

"I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world,

"Life in plastic, it's fantastic!

"You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere,

"Imagination, life is your creation."

"Come on Barbie, let's go party!" Warrick resumed his role, and then, as the beat picked up, the rest of the group joined Grissom to sing:

"I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world,

"Life in plastic, it's fantastic!"

They all ran their hands down the sides of their bodies as they sang that line, then mimed brushing their hair and undressing as they continued. Catherine chuckled to herself as she recognised the choreography, and it confirmed her suspicion that her daughter was in on this. When Lindsey was younger she had devised her own dance routine to this song, and she and Catherine used to dance around their living room.

"Imagination, life is your creation," they sang, their hands twirling away from their heads, in an action to indicate dreaming. Then the group dropped out, and Grissom again sang solo, but they continued to accompany him with the actions.

"I'm a blond bimbo girl, in a fantasy world," he continued, strutting, as if wearing high heels, across the stage.

"Dress me up, make it tight…"

They wrapped their arms around their bodies…

"I'm your dolly…"

… And twiddled their hair, whilst smiling over-innocently. Then, as Warrick sang:

"You're my doll, rock 'n' roll, feel the glamour in pink…"

… they shrugged their shoulders in time to the music, and to the line:

"Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky…"

… they blew a kiss to the audience, then slapped one hand onto the top of their right butt cheek, and with that hand still there, wriggled their butts.

Slapping both of his hands onto his ass, and making a cheeky "oooh!" face, Grissom picked up:

"You can touch, you can play, if you say I'm always yours."

That move had left Catherine rather shocked when Lindsey had first shown her the routine, but now, she almost blushed when Gil wiggled his tush again.

There was a chorus of "oooh-oh!" then they all sang the chorus, with the accompanying actions, moving their heads to the rhythm when they reached the "ah-ah-ah yeah" lines.

Grissom's turn again, he crossed the stage in the other direction, singing:

"Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please,

"I can act like a star…"

They all jumped into a star jump, their arms and legs spread. It was something Catherine had seen several times from Lindsey, but watching eleven grown adults do it, almost doubled her over with laughter.

"… I can beg on my knees."

Warrick's next lines gave all the 'Barbies' time to stand up again, and Catherine wondered how many of them had anticipated how hard their knees were going to hit that floor.

"Come jump in, bimbo friend, let us do it again," the CSI sang, only just managing to contain his own laughter as Greg and Nick rushed to help Uncle Bob maintain his dignity as he tried to stand up in that dress.

"Hit the town, fool around, let's go party," his voice trailed off into chuckling as he lost his control.

Catherine nearly blushed again as Gil shook his ass in time with his next line, and she sensed that he heard her laughing, because as that line was repeated, he shook it with more force, causing her to laugh even louder.

By the end of the song, the audience was on its feet cheering, and Catherine's face was tear stained -- luckily she had learned from past experience, and was wearing waterproof mascara this time.

She joined in the standing ovation, wolf-whistled as Gil took a bow and cheered for the others, then her laughing faltered when she noticed that the others were leaving the stage but Gil wasn't.

Sensing, as she did, that there was something else to come, the audience retook their seats, and frowning once more, Catherine went to do the same, but was stopped by a voice from the stage.

"You don't need to sit down, Catherine," Gil said.

She froze where she was, and then warily turned to look at him.

"Could you come up here, please?" he asked, his mischievous smirk back in place.

Catherine shrugged, "I really don't think that's necessary," she replied, knowing that wouldn't be the end of it.

"We had an agreement," he reminded her.

She feigned ignorance.

"You would sing, if I did," he explained for her -- and for the audience, who, though highly entertained, were wondering what the hell was going on.

She glared at his smug face. "I haven't decided what to sing yet," she tried.

"You can decide when you get up here," he offered.

Catherine knew she couldn't win this argument, but she still didn't move.

"Catherine?" Grissom asked. When she didn't respond, except for to intensify her glare, he added: "You've forced me to do this." He then paused before starting to chant 'Catherine' in the same way she had done to him at his cousin's party.

Everyone in the room joined in with his 'encouragement', including the members of their team who were now returning to the table.

Catherine made sure she glared at each one of them for taking part in this torture before she reluctantly made her way towards the stage.

As she passed Uncle Bob, he gave her a small hug and winked at her, then he wished her luck for her performance and sent her on her way.

The chant continued even as she took the few steps onto the stage, only subsiding when she was stood at Grissom's side, at which point it turned into applause.

"Hi," he said to her alone, kissing her softly on the cheek.

"Hello," she said through ground teeth, but a smile could be seen in her eyes.

"It seems you've been crying," he commented. "But the song wasn't soppy," he smirked, feigned innocence dripping from his words.

She simply glared again, and, laughing, he turned back to the audience. "Thank you for your help," he smiled. "Now, before Catherine sings…"

Catherine's heart seemed to stop beating as she heard his words. Did he have something else planned? Had he got her up here under false pretences?

"… I would like to explain my choice of song. Catherine has a young daughter, and the two of them used to dance around their living room to that…"

Catherine relaxed when he began his explanation.

"… I needed a song that wasn't 'soppy' and wouldn't make my sweet fiancée cry… I narrowed it down to two songs. This was the one I thought would not cause the tears… Apparently I was wrong…"

The audience laughed at this, assuring Catherine that they could all tell that she had been crying.

"… Anyway, I thought the other one would definitely have been too soppy… Because it went a little something like this…"

Catherine looked around in shock as the stage lights dropped to that one spotlight again, this time just encircling her and Gil. Her eyes widened as he walked towards her, smiling, soft music beginning in the background.

"She may be the face I can't forget," he began to sing.

"The trace of pleasure or regret,

"May be my treasure, or the price I have to pay.

"She may be the song the summer sings,

"May be the chill the autumn brings,

"May be a hundred different things,

"Within the measure of a day…"

Her heart was racing as he stood simply looking into her eyes, his love for her flooding through his gaze. Despite her determination to not let it affect her, she could feel the tears prickling at the back of her eyes, and she shook her head, once more surprised by the lengths he had gone to.

The music stopped, and she frowned at him.

"Too soppy so far?" he asked, wiping at the moisture beneath her eyes.

She shook her head emphatically. "No, not at all," she grinned.

"Okay," he smiled, and the music resumed.

"She may be my left hand… and my right…" he smirked, proud to have caused the look of pleasant surprise that moved onto her face.

"May never let me win a fight,

"Get on her bad side, and you'll feel like you're in hell…"

There was a "Tell me about it!" from within the crowd -- in a voice that sounded a lot like Greg's. Catherine made a mental note to call him on it later.

"She, a constant presence through the years,

"A calming force to soothe all fears,

"A face still pretty stained with tears…" He ran a finger softly along her cheek.

"I'm in her spell."

"She, whose moves could dazzle any crowd;

"Who, with her daughter, always looks so proud;

"She can light a room with… just one smile.

"With her, I know this love will last,

"We build our future upon our shared past,

"And I will love her til the day I die.

"She will be the reason I survive,

"Why I'll be grateful I'm alive,

"I'll live each day to make her every dream come true.

"Each smile, each burst of laughter and each tear,

"They will all have a place in here…" He placed his hand across his heart.

"For all she is forms part of me…" He stepped closer to her, preparing to deliver his final line.

"The meaning of my life is… she."

She closed the space between them and kissed him firmly on the lips, earning an increased cheer from the audience.

"You're full of surprises, Mr Grissom," she beamed, her eyes sparkling more than usual with unshed tears.

"Nice surprises?" he asked, although her embrace seemed to provide the answer.

She pretended to be deep in thought for a second. "Erm… They'll do," she smiled, then she kissed him again.

Someone in the audience shouted for them to get a room -- again it sounded distinctly like Greg.

"So," Grissom said, pulling back. "You're next."

"But I can't beat your performance… performances," she pouted.

"It's not a competition… Luckily for you," he smirked.

She hit him playfully across the shoulder. "You're drunk aren't you?" she teased.

He shook his head and wrapped his arms around her waist. "No… I'm just happy." He kissed her softly, just once, on the lips, then said: "And I'll be even happier when you sing."

TBC…

Song info:

Nick sang "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias

Grissom and co. sang "Barbie Girl" by Aqua

Grissom sang "She" (in my version) by Elvis Costello, previously sung by Charles Aznavour (?) – Alternative lyrics written by Gil Grissom.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed :-)


	5. Chapter Five NEW!

A/N: Thanks to Alza for reading this through for me, and for the encouragement. Also, thanks to Angie and Linda for the constant reminders that this wasn't finished… Please remember this fic was started almost two years ago, and follows Wedding Bells which was written before then, so it's not set during the current TV seasons. More notes will follow the chapter.

-----

Chapter Five

Gil had once thought that there was no sight more beautiful than Catherine smiling: but as she glared at him once more, it occurred to him that that look could give her smile some competition.

"I'm not ready yet, Gil," she said, pleading puppy-dog eyes firmly in place.

"Spontaneity is the spice of life, Catherine," Gil smiled.

"That's variety," she shot back.

"Things change," he smirked.

"Yeah… You used to be so quiet," she responded, pouting.

Gil laughed and hugged her tighter to him. "It must be love."

Catherine couldn't help smiling now. "Aww. I am so lucky to have a man who's willing to get up on stage, and wear a blonde wig for me."

"I would do anything for you, Catherine, you know that," he smiled, placing a gentle kiss on the end of her nose.

"Including giving me time to prepare for my act?" she asked, eyes full of exaggerated hope.

Gil smiled mischievously. "Except that." Then he turned to the audience, who by this time were talking amongst themselves, and announced: "Ladies and gentlemen… Catherine Willows!"

As the crowd applauded, Gil was rewarded with that beautiful glare again, as he made his way off the stage to return to their table; and Catherine made her way over to select a song.

--

Gil sat down in an empty space beside Brass; giving himself a great view of the stage.

"She doesn't look impressed," Brass commented, as they watched Catherine take her place behind the microphone.

Gil smirked. "No she doesn't."

Brass shook his head slowly, chuckling to himself. "Are you two even gonna make it to the wedding?"

Gil looked at him, and simply said, definitively, "Yes."

Meanwhile, across the table, Nick and Sara were giggling about something. Greg did not know what had caused the laughter – he hadn't been listening – all that he knew was that Nick was making Sara laugh. And it bothered him.

And when Sara placed her hand on Nick's arm as she laughed, it bothered him even more.

"I'm gonna choose my song," he announced, as he slid out of the booth. "So I can go after Catherine."

He walked through the club, running the lyrics of "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Hero" through his mind, as he tried to think of an appropriate response for him to make.

--

Catherine waited, impatiently, for the music to start, trying to remember as much of the song as she could, so she wouldn't make an absolute mess of it. She could just about make out Gil in the crowd, grinning smugly, and she once again, mentally, blamed him for all of this… Her mind did, occasionally, remind her that she had known she was expected to sing for days, and could have been more prepared than she was. But she chose to focus on blaming Gil. There was less fun in admitting that you yourself were at fault.

As the first bars of music filtered through the speakers, Catherine noticed Greg walk past the stage, muttering to himself, the only word she could make out being 'hero'. She shook her head, partly in sadness, partly in amusement, and then focussed on starting to sing at the right point. Which had approached faster than she had expected.

"Er… Any man of mine better be proud of me," she began, stuttering a little to catch up with the music.  
"Even when I'm ugly, he'd still better love me,  
"And I can be late for a date, that's fine,  
"But he better be on time …"

By the end of this first verse, she had regained her confidence and was ready to present the song with the attitude she intended.

"Any man of mine'll say it fits just right …" she continued, her voice more determined now; and she received wolf-whistles from the crowd as she ran her free hand down her wriggling body as she sang:

"When last year's dress is just a little too tight.  
"And anything I do or say better be okay  
"When I have a bad hair day …"

In their booth, across the club, Brass leaned towards Grissom. "I think she might be trying to send you a message, buddy," he smirked.

Grissom just smiled and continued to watch as Catherine now had her audience singing with her; allowing them to sing the alternative 'yeah's of: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I like it that way."

"Any man of mine," she continued, alone, "Better walk the line,  
"Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time.  
"I need a man who knows, how the story goes,  
"He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'  
"Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind  
"Any man of mine."

Catherine was obviously enjoying herself now. She was stamping her right foot, and clapping her hands in time to the music, and the crowd was joining in.

"Well any man of mine better disagree  
"When I say another woman's lookin' better than me …" she accompanied these words with a look of disbelieving shock, to say "as if!"

"And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black  
"He better say, mmmm, I like it like that yeah,  
"And if I changed my mind  
"A million times  
"I wanna hear him say,  
"Yeah…"

She waved the microphone towards the audience for their: "yeah…" then back to her for the next one, repeating that to the end of the line, when she once again returned to singing solo.

"I like it that way…  
"Any man of mine better walk the line  
"Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time  
"I need a man who knows, how the story goes  
"He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'  
"Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind  
"Any man of mine…"

As a short instrumental played, and Catherine danced around the stage, Warrick leaned across the table, to talk to Grissom. "That's a lot to live up to," he grinned. "Are you sure you can meet all her needs?"

Grissom laughed. "Oh I know I can," he said, smugly.

"Ew!" Sara exclaimed, showing that she had been listening to their exchange. "We do not need that image!"

They all laughed and turned back to Catherine's performance.

She had just finished the audience participation segment again, and was now encouraging them to clap to the beat as she started the last chorus.

"Any man of mine better walk the line  
"Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time…"

She paced the stage, clapping her hands at the base of her microphone.

"I need a man who knows, how the story goes  
"He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'  
"Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind  
"Any man of mine…"

The music slowed as the song listed the criteria for the last time, and as the music faded out in the background, she spoke in a sultry voice: "Any man of mine."

There was cheering and whistling from the crowd, and all her co-workers were out of their seats, screaming congratulations and requests for an encore, as she proudly took a bow, a self-satisfied smirk on her lips.

-----

Catherine was still smiling, and still catching her breath, from her performance, as she tried to put the microphone back onto its stand. A voice behind her told her to stop though.

She turned around to see Greg approaching her across the stage.

"I'm singing next," he announced.

"Oh… Okay," she said, handing him the microphone. "What are you singing?"

"It's a surprise," he said, cryptically, tapping his finger on the side of his nose to reinforce his point.

Catherine shook her head, laughing, wished Greg luck, and then made her way off the stage and over to where the others were sitting.

"Great job!" Warrick congratulated her as she nudged Grissom to move over so she could slip in next to him.

"Thank you," she grinned.

"Yes. Well done," Grissom said, as he slipped his arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek.

"I think Gil has an inferiority complex now," Brass chuckled.

Catherine adjusted her body to turn to her fiancé. "Oh you have no need to worry," she smirked.

As Sara and Nick both rolled their eyes, Warrick giggled and Brass laughed once more, Grissom shrugged: "That's what I told them."

Catherine could imagine what he had said and, from the look on Sara and Nick's faces, what their reaction had been, and she joined in the laughter. "Have you been scarring people for life, Gil?"

"I try," he said softly, as he leaned in and kissed her lips.

Catherine returned the kiss, passionately, her lips sliding over his, and her tongue pushing for entry to his mouth. Grissom granted the request and pulled her closer to him, amid shouts of "ew!" and "get a room" from the other end of the table.

They pulled apart and, giggling, Catherine stuck her tongue out at Sara and Nick. Before they could respond, however, music had started, and Catherine and Gil, innocently, turned to face the stage, his right arm remaining draped around her waist.

-----

They listened to the music, all of them glancing at each other to see if anyone recognised the song. It seemed it sounded familiar, but none of them could place it. With a shrug, they resolved to wait for Greg to start singing.

When he did, however, it didn't help. It was impossible to tell what he was saying; he was mumbling so much he may have just been making the sound, and there may not have actually been any words in there.

Catherine couldn't help but giggle, and she wasn't alone. Every one at the table was amused by Greg's performance so far, and from the mutterings coming from the tables around them, every one in the club was as intrigued as they were.

And then suddenly all became clear. Reaching the chorus, Greg let out one audible line: "We don't need another hero!" and then continued to mumble.

"Ah! That's it!" Sara exclaimed.

Catherine offered her the same wondering frown that she had done when the brunette had made no association between her own song and Nick's. Surely she must have noticed the connection with this one.

Warrick and Nick had exchanged a look that was a mixture of amusement and concern, so they obviously realised what the reasoning was behind Greg's choice; and when she looked at Grissom to see if he had noticed, his look shared some of the anxiety that hers did.

Greg was still singing – if you could call it that – and, once again, the only line he sang clearly was "we don't need another hero", and this time it was louder and more forceful than the first.

"There's definitely a hero theme tonight," Sara commented, causing Catherine to sputter the mouthful of drink she had just been taking.

"Yes there is," the older woman responded, coughing.

Nick had blushed slightly and ensured his face was facing away from Sara.

"I wonder why," Brass said.

Sara seemed to ponder this for a few seconds and then she shrugged. "I just liked my song… Nick, why did you choose yours?"

From where she was seated, Catherine could see quite clearly in Nick's profile that his eyes had widened, and, while she did feel sorry for him, she couldn't help but laugh.

When Sara looked at her, eyebrows raised in question of why she was laughing, Catherine playfully slapped the hand that Grissom had rested on her hip, and said: "Gil! Stop it!"

Grissom didn't miss a beat, and tickled her, to keep up her cover story, and Sara rolled her eyes and looked back to Nick, who was still facing the stage.

"Oy!" she said, poking him in the back. "I asked you a question!"

Nick feigned pain in his back where she had prodded him, and slowly turned around in his seat. "I've always been an Enrique Iglesias fan," he lied - convincingly though.

Sara nodded. "Cool," and then, as Greg's one line was belted out again, she looked back to the stage, and said: "Why is he just singing that one line?"

The others chose to take it as a rhetorical question and Brass swiftly changed the subject. "So have you two love birds set a date yet?" he asked Catherine and Gil.

"Not yet," Grissom replied. "But it'll be some time soon."

"Something you're not telling us?" Brass smirked, winking at Catherine.

She rolled her eyes. "No!… I just can't wait to be Mrs Grissom," she commented, looking into Grissom's eyes as she spoke.

"And I can't wait for you to be Mrs Grissom," Gil commented, resting his forehead against hers as he spoke, and then softly kissing the tip of her nose when he had finished his words.

"Man! You should never mix love and alcohol!" Warrick declared as Grissom and Catherine kissed once more.

They were broken out of this embrace by the cessation of the music, and the applause surrounding them.

They joined the others in applauding Greg enthusiastically, because the rest of the audience was less than exuberant. They cheered and whistled as he left the stage and moved round to make space for him to sit down when he returned.

"So, is it gonna be a big wedding?" Sara asked, taking the last mouthful of drink from her glass.

Catherine and Gil looked at each other.

"You mean you haven't discussed it yet?" Sara asked. "You've been engaged for a week! What have you been doing?… No! Don't answer that!"

The others giggled as Sara once again looked traumatised by her thoughts.

"See," Grissom said, in Catherine's direction, but loud enough for all of them to hear, "She doesn't need me to scar her for life. She's doing a good job all on her own."

Everyone was laughing as Greg rejoined the group. "What did I miss?" he asked as he sat down in the space beside Warrick.

"Nothing you would want to hear if you don't want to be permanently damaged!" Sara exclaimed.

"What have you been doing?" Greg queried, looking, reprimandingly, at Grissom and Catherine.

Catherine's eyes widened in innocence. "We haven't been doing anything. Sara has a dirty mind!"

Sara smirked. "That's what Mick tells me."

Silence instantly descended on the table, and everyone, except Sara, glanced at everyone else to see if they had all heard the same declaration. They all looked as surprised and confused as each other, so they assumed they must not have imagined it.

"Mick?" Catherine finally voiced the question that was on everybody's minds.

Sara frowned, as if confused by the question. "My boyfriend," she stated.

Nick and Greg exchanged embarrassed glances, before downing what remained of their drinks.

"Haven't I mentioned him?" Sara continued.

"No," Nick said, surprisingly upbeat given the situation. "No, you haven't."

"How long have you and he been…" Greg asked, letting his question trail off as he didn't actually want to think about what they had 'been'.

"About five months," Sara replied. "He had to work tonight, otherwise he would have come."

There was another moment of silence, and Sara looked round the table. "I'm sure I've mentioned him before."

Everyone shook their heads slowly and Sara frowned. "Oh… Well, now you know," she grinned. "And you can all meet him at the wedding."

Greg had, by this time, taken Warrick's drink, and almost choked as she said this. "Wedding?" he asked, eyes wide. "You've only been seeing him for five months!"

"Grissom and Catherine's wedding, Greg," Sara responded.

"Ah," he said, nodding. "That makes more sense."

"Does anyone want another drink?" Brass asked, standing up to save Greg from any further embarrassment.

"Yes!" Nick and Greg exclaimed simultaneously, both standing up to accompany Brass to the bar.

Grissom, Catherine and Warrick moved to allow the three men to slip out of the booth, and then retook their seats after giving in their drink requests.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Sara announced, scooting around the seat and practically pushing Warrick out of her way.

"Yeah! That's it!" he called after her. "Leave me with huggy and kissy here!… Ow!" Catherine had kicked him under the table.

"We'll try to restrain ourselves while you're alone with us," she said, grinning evilly, as she ran her fingers through the hair on the back of Grissom's neck, causing him to shiver.

Warrick closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, and he heard Catherine laughing. Opening his eyes again, he smiled at the couple opposite him.

"It's good to see the two of you happy … together!" he said.

Catherine smiled, all traces of evil gone, and only happiness remaining. "Thank you… What are we going to do about Nick and Greg?" she asked, seriously.

"Oh, they'll be fine," Warrick said. "And this is probably the best outcome."

"Yeah," Grissom agreed. "At least this doesn't alienate anyone."

"Exactly," Warrick nodded.

After a short silence, he continued with a change of topic. "So, when are you going to set a date? This is Vegas remember, no matter what date you pick, you're sure to find someone available to perform the ceremony."

"That's true," Catherine said. "So, when do you think?" she asked Gil.

He shrugged, as he considered the question. "May the fourth?"

"International Star Wars Day?" Catherine laughed.

"Or maybe not," Gil smiled. "May the fifth?"

Catherine nodded. "Sounds good to me… Gives us a couple of months to plan."

"May the fifth it is then," Grissom smiled and leaned over to kiss Catherine once on the lips.

"Nice restraint," Warrick commented, then he stood up as he saw the other men returning from the bar.

---

When the drinks had been handed round, and Sara had returned from the bathroom, Warrick tapped the side of his glass to get the attention of the group.

They all fell silent, and took hold of their glasses.

"I would like to make a toast," he smiled. "We all realised Catherine and Grissom were in love with each other years ago… and finally they're up to speed! Thanks, in part, to me," he grinned. "No, seriously, I just want to say that I believe you've been destined for this… And we've waited so long, that it'd better be one hell of a wedding!"

His listeners laughed, and he raised his glass. "To Grissom and Catherine."

"To Grissom and Catherine," echoed as glasses clinked, and the betrothed couple kissed once more as Warrick added:

"And roll on May the fifth!"

THE END

A/N: Catherine sang "Any Man of Mine" by Shania Twain and Robert John 'Mutt' Lange; Greg 'sang' "We Don't Need Another Hero" written by Graham Lyle and Terry Britten.


End file.
